Common Critical Marks

After teaching this class for a number of years, I've discovered that I put a lot of the same marks on papers over and over again. This is a lexicon of those marks and where you can turn for help. Underlined words are links to other pages. Please let me know if there is a symbol that I use that you would like me to include here.

• AWK - Signifies that the sentence has been constructed in an awkward manner. For instance, you might have written: "Throw me down the stairs my shoes." When that is not what you meant. If you see this comment frequently, you need to softly read your work to yourself so that you can hear awkward phrasing. Most of us speak with dexterity, so we should hear awkward phrasing.

• CONCRETE EXAMPLE? - Don't pat yourself on the back, this means you forgot to include one. If you aren't sure what concrete examples are, head to the page that covers Concrete Examples.

• LINK? - This signifies that you have not provided the reader a link between two sentences within a paragraph. This usually occurs when your mind is working faster than your hands. To remedy this, add a sentence that ties the two thoughts together.

• LINK TO THESIS? You have not tied the end of a body paragraph to the overall thesis. This is vital as it shows the reader how each body paragraph supports the overall argument as set forth in the thesis.

• Only 2 (or 1) Body Paragraph???-- This is a bad one. This means you have not mastered the organizational pattern for the essays (at least for my classes). So, if you see this, head back to Page which covers organizing your essay.

• PHRASING - similar to AWK, but this is usually only within a clause, not the entire sentence.
  
• PRON REF - When you see this, it means that you have used so many pronouns that I am no longer certain what a specific pronoun refers to. For instance, if you write, "Pitino and Smith are both great coaches but he will be the one to lead them to greatness." The reader doesn't now which he you are referring to. Nor does the reader have any clue who "them" refers to. Your textbook (The Allyn Bacon Handbook) covers this in detail on pages 296 to 306.

• PUMP UP AGD - You either have no AGD or it is too thin to be effective. For assistance, see the page that deals with AGDs.

• STRIVE FOR A MORE MATURE VOICE - When I put this on your paper, I mean that your writing sounds like it was written by someone with less life and educational experience than you. This may require you to work on your vocabulary, look for more significant concrete examples, or work on syntax.

• S/V -- Another bad one. This refers to Subject-Verb Agreement. This problem, if persistent, can really spoil your credibility in the eyes of the reader. Your textbook (The Allyn Bacon Handbook) covers this issue thoroughly from pages 247 to 262. You may do training drills to fix S/V in the CSC with a program called "blue pencil."
  
• SYNTAX - This refers to the way you put words together to form sentences, paragraphs, and larger works. This is a larger version of AWK. This is a problem that is common to folks to whom English is not their native language.
  
• TOO THIN -- Just what it sound like. The section I'm referring to has not been fully covered. If this is applied to a bibliography it means that you did not do enough research.
  
• VERB FORM -- This means that you are using the wrong form of a particular verb. For instance, if you write, "They be happy." Or "Bizarro am Angry." Blue pencil has drills to correct this. Your book (The Allyn Bacon Handbook) talks about verbs in great depths.
  
• VERB NUMBER -- This simply means that a verb's plurality or singularity must match the Noun to which it refers. A single subject has to have a single verb and plural subjects have to have a plural verb.
  
• VOICE SHIFTS --Your book (The Allyn Bacon Handbook) covers this rather thoroughly on pages 325-326. This refers to shifts in the "person" in which you are writing. It is usually a shift from third to first person. Pick one and stick with it.
  
• WEAK WORD -- This mark means your vocabulary is showing. You have used a vague, meaningless word when a more descriptive, concrete, vivid word would have strengthened the meaning of your writing for the reader. Words that will always attract this comment include: "things, crap, stuff, etc., you know, and junk."
  
• W/C -- This refers to your word choice. By this I mean you have chosen a word that was not your best strategic option. For instance if you say, "Anxiety makes me feel bad." That's a no-brainer, but it really doesn't tell the reader how anxiety makes you feel. A better word choice might be: "Anxiety makes me feel as if I am being slowly electrocuted.

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